"Contactless" convenience with Sony FeliCa

Today, wherever you go, whether at train stations or at convenience stores, you see people enjoying the ease of making payment simply by holding an IC card over a reader/writer. This "contactless" convenience is made possible by Sony FeliCa contactless IC card technology. Placing the card over a reader/writer activates high-speed data transmission to rewrite the data to the card. The card is suitable for high volumes of transactions, making it environmentally friendly. With its high-security system, FeliCa is used in a wide variety of ways, such as in ticketing systems for public transportations, e-money, and residence door keys. The name FeliCa comes from the word "felicity", suggesting that the technology is destined to make our daily lives more convenient and enjoyable.

Features

Contactless high-speed data transmission

An IC chip and antenna are embedded in each FeliCa card, enabling each transaction to be completed in approximately 0.1 sec, simply by holding the card over a compatible reader/writer. As it is contactless, users can enjoy the ease of using the card without having to remove it from a wallet or purse.

A single card for multi-usage

Functions in the card equivalent to files and folders allow a single card to offer multiple services. An employee ID card can also be used as an access card for office entrance as well as PC login. It can even be used as an e-money card for payment

High security

The FeliCa system has achieved ISO/IEC 15408 EAL4/EAL4+ security level, the international criteria to measure the security level of a system. Important data such as the remaining balance of the card, information for e-money or personal authentication are protected from malicious attacks.

Flexibility in shape

In addition to card format, FeliCa technology can be used in a variety of form factors, such as mobile phone or coin-type tokens. FeliCa can also be incorporated into wristwatches or key holders.

FeliCa is all around us

The key features of FeliCa technology help to satisfy the challenging requirements for transit IC tickets in public transportation, thus FeliCa cards are widely used as transit tickets for railway and bus services in Japan and other countries in Asia.

FeliCa is used in the e-money services widely deployed in the market, at convenience stores, shopping malls and vending machines, and for Internet shopping. The stores also benefit from the efficiency of quick e-money payment.

FeliCa is utilized as IDs such as students cards and employee cards. A FeliCa-based ID makes it possible to manage attendance and access facilities, as well as to make cashless payment at the venue. These days, the technology is also adopted as residential access control for condos, and IC tag management for distribution systems.

FeliCa is used for boarding passes to streamline the boarding process for domestic flights in Japan. A passenger can immediately board a plane simply by placing an IC card or mobile phone with FeliCa on the terminal at the boarding gate. Other use cases include membership for retail stores and sports clubs.

Daily vital data measured with weight scale, blood pressure monitor or thermometer can easily be transferred by simply holding an Android NFC smartphone near the healthcare device. FeliCa is also used for the medicine notebook system in Japan.

These days, wireless connection is gaining popularity over the former cable connection to transmit data between devices. To avoid cumbersome setup for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections, NFC technology offers a simple authorization method to connect devices wirelessly with a single tap. An increasing range of products comes equipped with this capability.